Happy Tail Stories from Adopters!
Adopted from Baja Dogs and have a happy tail to share?
You can submit your story and photos to us here.
Molly
A few years ago during one of our events in La Paz called the “Mutt Strut,” Wendy Whyte attended and met Molly. She completed an adoption application and we processed it as quickly as we could so that Wendy could take Molly home with her on her return trip. We’re so happy to hear that Molly is continuing to thrive in her new home. From the adopter:
“Molly and I are truly inseparable. I work from home, even once Covid is over, she has her bed right next to me. All my friends know in advance, that Molly and I are a team, so where ever I go Molly comes! Which is never a problem, because she has the most amazing personality! She’s kind, she’s quiet, but playful, we go to the off leash dog park, and she has excellent recall. My life is so much better since Molly entered it 1 1/2 years ago! Thank you Veronica Santisteban for having such a big heart to rescue her!”
Tomasa (Tommy)
Tomasa was rescued from the streets when she was just a puppy. This is one adopter’s appreciation for the work done by the rescatistas (rescuer/fosterer) of little Tomasa. It is important to know the tremendous labor of love that goes into each of these rescued dogs only to give them up with a tearful goodbye and then to find another dog to rescue and start the process all over again.
Without rescatistas, we can only guess what would happen to these dogs. Here is a quote by Tommy’s adopter:
“What an excellent job Graciela did fostering Tommy. Tommy is a sweet and happy dog by her nature. Graciela nurtured that nature and allowed Tommy the gain her self-confidence. I hit the jackpot with this puppy. I won the lottery. I grabbed the golden ring. I have deep appreciation for Graciela and, of course for Baja Dogs. But it seems to me that the foster homes are the foundation of your organization. Thank you, ladies, for being a (significant) part of making this all happen.”
Paco
It all started when my husband and I were reviewing profiles on the Baja Dogs La Paz website. It was love at first sight. When we saw his face, we knew without even meeting him that we were his forever family.
As the song goes (his instead of her)… Then I saw his face, now I’m a believer, Not a trace of doubt in my mind, Now I’m a believer, yeah, yeah, yeah…
Paco is a great addition to our family! We love him so very much, and he in return loves us. He is the most friendly dog and wants to make friends with everyone he meets. He loves the beach, and enjoys when his best playmates join in on the fun. Paco has a girlfriend named Lily, and gives her kisses until her face is soaked with slobber. Poor Lily! Playing fetch is one of his favorite things to do, but he loves to play keep away even more.
Paco loves the family bed, and kicks Mom out of bed in the early hours of the morning so he can have more room to stretch his big long legs.The best way to describe him, a puppy in a big dog’s body.
Thank you Baja Dogs La Paz for rescuing our little/big boy, he is just the best. We love you Paco!!
Mom, Dad, and Royce
Athena
Picking up Athena in La Paz
We had just lost our dog from old age and we were looking for a new furry, four-legged companion. We were so sad, but we knew we had an abundance of room in our hearts to welcome in a new family member.
While looking online for a rescue dog, we happened to click into Baja Dogs La Paz and immediately saw Athena! We read her profile and we just knew she was the one!
We applied for Athena and went through the Baja Dog adoption process. We also decided, “Let’s go pick her up ourselves in La Paz!”. We had never been to La Paz and we thought it would be wonderful to meet Athena’s rescatista and see where Athena was from.
We got approved and then started making plans to Fly to La Paz! Read more here . . .
Lucio’s (now Sufi) Happy Tail
Lucio (now called Sufi) took a little convincing and several people trying to catch him and get him off the street in La Paz. Even though he is a small dachshund mix he would not back down from other street dogs and had injuries from those battles which caught the attention of his first rescatista.
When Lucio was finally rescued, he benefited from having two rescatistas during his stay with Baja Dogs which related to more experiences, different homes, people and animals.
As Lucio healed mentally and physically, a very special guy emerged that learned to trust again and enjoy life to the fullest. One thing we know for sure is that Lucio became a great caretaker of cats of all ages, he loves to play with other small dogs and loves to snuggle close like all dachshunds to people.
Renamed Sufi, he is now much loved by his two Dads Rob and Tyler in Lynwood Washington and is the inspiration behind “Sufi Chronicles ” which our Facebook members love to read or should we say, Lord Sufington the 3rd Esquire. Such a small dog that has warmed the hearts of so many. Just another special Baja Dog.
Bo’s Happy Tail
There are so many times when Baja Dogs La Paz wants to refer to “Special Needs” dogs as just “Special” and Bo is one of these dogs. Bo has gone through a lot in his short life but his determination and sweet nature demonstrate just how special he is. At a year and a half of age, Bo has beaten the odds of being hit by a car and receiving a serious injury to both back legs that required extensive surgery. Not only did it leave Bo with an awkward gait but he sustained cerebral damage which took away some of his hearing. It is difficult to figure out how much hearing was robbed from Bo but he does have some which is good. Bo was listed as a Labrador Retriever but there is probably some other breed – maybe a boxer which gives him an interesting look. What I think makes this dog special is he loves to run on the beach, is exuberant for walks, thrilled to meet dogs and people. Bo lives on Bainbridge Island with his special Mom, Laura who knows sign language to help her dog, his big sister Nellie the Labrador and Halo the cat, who enjoy the friendliness of this new family member. What is extraordinary about this guy out of all his toys he feels very strongly that the fish toy should always be in the water and that is where Laura finds it (in the toilet!). Just another Special Baja Dog.
Yogui’s Happy Tail
Baja Dogs La Paz has had dogs larger than Yogui but we never had such a large dog that thought he was a lap dog. Yogui was a pretty sick puppy when he was rescued at approximately 3 months of age in March 2019. To comfort, soothe and support a sick puppy, rescatista Adela and her family involved lots of sitting on laps, rocking in chairs and hugging him on a couch. Well with all the love and excellent clinic care this Black Mouth cutie not only got better and grew to a 80 pound (36 kg) dog, but we knew Yogui wanted to continue his lap dog life in his forever home. It took a while to find that perfect home where Yogui could play with balls, run with dog friends and share a couch with his family but Christmas came early to Jeff, Mikayla and Yogui when he came home in December 2020. Not only does Yogui like to be right in the middle of everything but his new family found it very funny that he was very nosy checking out their whole home when he moved in. Life is very exciting for this family because Yogui is getting a little sister in the near future from Baja Dogs and yes Yogui sat through our WhatsApp talk because this special Baja dog likes to be involved with it all.
This is the Happy Tails story of Cleopatra, formally Tigrilla…
It was brought to the attention of one of our fosterers (or as we call them, rescatistas) that a dog and her puppies were dumped in a nearby neighborhood. Some of the puppies were taken and others, died. Tigrilla was about to go into heat again and to prevent future litters, the rescatista decided to take her into the vet’s office to get her spayed and then released. Well, it did not take a long time to realize that this dog was incredibly special, kind, quiet, respectful, and noble. Unfortunately, the person that had spayed Tigrilla could not care for her in her home and did not want to put her back on the street, so she made a plea to the other rescatistas for help. This is when Raquel, a loyal rescatista, jumped in to help. She decided to care for Cleopatra and put her up for adoption. After just 3 days, Raquel realized that Tigrilla was no ordinary dog and therefore, decided to change her name to a more applicable one…Cleopatra. Cleopatra was entered the Baja Dogs system April 2019.
Cleopatra stole the hearts of the whole Baja Dogs Team. She attended weekly dog trainings, was a sweetheart at the clinics not only with humans but all the other dogs too and joyfully played with the multiple cats in her house. Her golden eyes melted your heart! After listing Cleopatra for adoption, Raquel was tormented over the idea of giving Cleopatra up and let us know that she was going to keep her for life!!!! The team was ecstatic for Cleopatra and completely supportive of Raquel’s decision.
AS with all the rescatistas, giving up the dog that they have nurtured and cared for so long is one of the hardest things to do. But some dogs, are just too special to give away. So, this Happy Tails ending is an example of what we call “FAILED FOSTER!” This is a case that reflects the dedication and commitment the rescatistas have to these animals and why we work so hard and appreciate your support to help them.
Lola is now Olive — and she just celebrated her two year anniversary! Here is what her new family says:
“November 17 marks two years with Olive. She’s funny, kind and has just enough sass that other dogs don’t mess with her. There’s nothing she won’t do for a treat. She sleeps in like a teenager and when she finally gets up, she runs and greets me like she hasn’t seen me in days. I make sure that every day she knows that she is loved and I would do anything for her. Thank you, Baja Dogs, for the opportunity to give Olive the best life.”
Stanley’s new mom says:
“Honestly we hit the jackpot with this dog. He is a great blend of active and mellow and suits the temperament of our family very well. We love him!”
Helping “Stan the man” find a great forever home was a team effort that Baja Dogs La Paz is known for.
Stanley was seen by our fosters (Rebecca and Jim MacDonald) hanging around a construction site. Because Stanley looked healthy because he was reasonably well fed by kind-hearted people, the MacDonald’s decided to have him neutered and then release him to the same area. Stanley had other ideas though and found his way back to the MacDonald’s, so it was decided he would be fostered and adopted out to a good forever home.
Stanley was adopted by a loving family but because he could not shake his fear and aggression towards the family’s cats he returned to La Paz and to his fosters. Stanley benefited from more leash training and socializing on leash until his adoption coordinator found the perfect home without cats.
Stanley made another trip to Seattle and lives with a wonderful family that has two young boys who love to share adventures with Stanley, now called Chico. This little dachshund mix no longer needs his frequent flyer card for travel because he found a great forever home.
A note from Addie’s adopters:
At the end of Oct our li’l lady will have been with us for 3 yrs and it’s been an amazing 3 yrs. We adopted Addie from you guys when she was in Squamish she had been in Canada a month. While she still is reactive with other dogs while on leash she is a lot better than she was and her meet and greets go better. She loves playing with her doggie friends and finally found a pup that can keep up with her when she plays. Overall Addie has become quite the li’l ham-ball and we are so happy she came to live with us. Thank you for bringing her to us.
Addie was living on the streets when she was rescued. She was shy and, since she needed some basic training, a volunteer in Squamish, Canada offered to foster her and help her along. Like many dogs rescued from the streets, their training is a continuing labor of love and Addie is so lucky to have found such a wonderful home.